‘Trees must be protected’

Rarotonga’s Baker Tree Services owner Nooroa Baker (left) with New Zealand tree care and management professional Nick Arnold in February last year. 16020308

Historic trees in the Cook Islands will need to be preserved and protected as they are diminishing, states a concerned citizen.

Nooroa Baker, of Baker Trees Services, who has a passion for these historic trees, highlighted during an interview with CI ews that there are only 30 per cent of historic trees in Rarotonga at present and people must understand the need to protect these trees.

“I have been around the island and from what we have seen approximately only 30 percent of our most precious trees are left,” Baker said.

He said these trees were mostly along the shoreline of Rarotonga and had lived for close to a 100 years.

“The trees that are in the forest were mostly introduced by the Europeans when they first arrived, but our historic trees are decreasing.”

Baker said some of these historic trees include the mahogany, old chestnuts, mango trees, uto trees and of the kapok and koka tree there is not much left.

He said some old trees have been burnt or cut down unnecessarily.

“There is a great need to relook at the protection of our historic trees, trees that have been here for generations and those that the Cook Islands have been known for and beautified with,” Baker said.

He added that the government must consider reviewing the legislation of historic tree protection in the Cook Islands.